26-28 October 2012 After Mysore I decided to visit Wayanad. Situated in northern Kerala, it is an area renowned for its animal sanctuary and treks. It was only a three hour bus ride west to cross the Karnataka-Kerala border from Mysore. On day one I got up early to visit the animal sanctuary. Many of the guide books claim you are almost guaranteed to spot wild elephants. I just managed to jump on the last jeep entering the park. In short, it was disappointing. ...

24-25 October 2012 After a somewhat arduous train journey and a three hour bus ride, I arrived in Mysore. I met up again with Mairead who was travelling with me for a time in Kerala. The Dussehra festival is a ten day annual event which is possibly the biggest festival in the south apart from Diwali. It is a Hindu celebration of the Gods defeating demons. Good prevailing over evil. I arrived on the last day of the festival, in which there is the climax of a th...

I boarded an overnight train to Bangalore as part of my journey to the Dussehra festival in Mysore. I shared a compartment with a small Keralan family and a lady called Tara. I've enjoyed all of my rail journeys so far and was pretty excited to try an overnight train in the 'sleeper' class. As the train crawled out of Ernakulam station, I could not wait to begin my thirteen hour train to Bangalore. Dinner was quite an experience. The family shared their meal wit...

20-23 October 2012 After enjoying the Keralan backwaters I visited the colonial city of Kochi. Full of history, it has been subject to Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. It is a coastal city so the seafood and spices in the local cuisine tastes amazing. You can buy the catch of the day direct from the fishermen at the Chinese fishing nets then take it straight to one of the many small shacks to have your seafood cooked for you. The evening of my arrival I watc...

I got off the train at Alleppey, nearly missing my stop. I was then approached by a rickshaw driver on the platform. I knew what landmark in the centre of town to aim for so we set off. During the trip, I kept being asked if I was wanted a houseboat today. Being alone and wanting to share with a group, I had been warned of touts so I repeatedly said no. I was then dropped off on a quiet canal with a handful of houseboats. I read there was supposed to be hundreds....